


Tears and Daggers

by bluemermaid



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Behind the Scenes, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Canon Compliant, Dumbledore's Army, F/F, Teenage Drama, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-16 11:50:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3487214
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemermaid/pseuds/bluemermaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marietta's version of OotP - A very difficult year, indeed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tears and Daggers

Marietta tossed her O.W.L. results aside and huffed impatiently, waving the haughty Hogwarts owl out the window. "Get going, you've done your job," she snapped, slamming the window shut on the startled bird, who just barely escaped with his tail intact. It wasn't his fault he hadn't been carrying a letter from Cho; still, Marietta needed to take her anger out on somebody.

She'd sent some ridiculously formal letter to Cho at the beginning of the summer, offering her condolences for the heartbreaking loss of Cedric Diggory and vowing to be there for Cho whenever her fellow Ravenclaw needed her. Three weeks ago, and still no reply. Marietta had taken to spending her days sitting at the window in her bedroom, just waiting. It was beginning to be insufferable.

Sure, Cho should be grieving for her boyfriend, but they hadn't been really close, had they? Not like Marietta, who'd sat up every night with Cho for the past five years in the Ravenclaw dormitory. She'd helped Cho with homework, studying, hair styling, dress robes, and gossip, including who was going with whom to the stupid Yule Ball. Marietta had been asked by Zacharias Smith, who'd ended up spending the evening discussing how ridiculous Harry Potter was for attempting to best his precious Cedric. And Cho had danced the night away with the Hufflepuff Champion, grinning like mad and not even glancing at the suffering Marietta. It was always Marietta who was suffering.

Until now, apparently. Marietta tore open the Hogwarts envelope and glanced morosely over the results. Just one year previous, Marietta Edgecombe would have been trembling with anxiety and anticipation over the receipt of her O.W.L. grades. Now, after all that had transpired the previous year, she could only sigh with the confirmation that she'd passed in every subject. She had expected no less, and she felt completely devoid of feeling, as though she were staring at a blank piece of parchment.

It was utter rubbish, growing up.

*****

Marietta rolled her trunk through the throng of excited students in King's Cross Station, her face red with the effort. Her schoolbooks seemed to get heavier every year. Platform nine and three-quarters was filled to the brim with chatting students, large trunks, owl cages, and caring parents, come to see their children off. Well, mostly caring parents. 

"Now, mind yourself this year, Marietta, darling," said Madam Edgecombe, hurriedly kissing her daughter on both cheeks. "Be good and keep your head down. There's going to be change at Hogwarts this year, and it's about time, really. Keep in line. I'll write when I have time; you can get yourself onto the train all right, yes? Of course you can." She smiled proudly. "My little Ravenclaw's gone and grown up on me. Where do the years go? Now on your way, there's a good girl. Love you, darling." 

Marietta scowled and turned away from her mother, hoisting her trunk up into the train's storage compartment. There was no need for her mother to pretend; it was quite obvious that she didn't much care for her daughter. Would she say she loved Marietta if the young Edgecombe were to get in trouble at school? If she didn't "keep in line" the way she ought? Marietta wasn't so certain. Madam Edgecombe's position in the Ministry was everything; that had been made clear since Marietta was a very little girl. She knew how important her mother's job was. Long ago, she'd admired it, the power and responsibility her mother held. Again, growing up had ruined everything.

Marietta strode purposefully through the Hogwarts Express, looking for her usual compartment. The Ravenclaw girls always sat together; Cho's Gang, Marietta called it, though only in her thoughts. Cho didn't even realize the sway she had; the very fact of her centrality escaped her. She was just naïve and humble that way.

"Mari!" Cho was upon her in an instant, throwing her slender arms about Marietta's neck, suffocating her with her scent. "I've missed you so much." Cho pulled back, face flushed and grinning like mad. "Come, we're sitting in here." She guided Marietta into her compartment. "You must tell us all about your summer; we've just been sharing stories."

How can she smile like this, thought Marietta, when she's spent the entire summer ignoring me? When she's lost somebody she cared for? Despite her best intentions, her heart soared as she considered what this may have meant. Cho Chang was smiling at her; she'd said she missed her. Perhaps Cedric hadn't been quite so important, after all.

Marietta smiled as she sat beside Cho, brushing her unruly hair off her shoulders. "Oh, my summer was all right," she said slowly. "My mother's been awfully busy at the Ministry, new policies and all." She gently nudged Cho with her shoulder. "How about you; how have you been?"

An awkward silence greeted her words; the other girls in the compartment glanced elsewhere, refusing to look at either Mari or Cho. Marietta frowned at them and focused her gaze on Cho, who was still smiling despite the fact that her eyes had begun to water. "Oh, I'm all right," Cho said softly, shrugging, her hands trembling in her lap. "It's been a bit of a rough summer, but I'm sure things will be okay now. I'm here now, after all, with all of you." 

Their eyes met, and Marietta's entire body flushed with heat. There was so much in Cho's gaze, her beauty and trust, and immediately she was entirely forgiven for her summer silence. It was all Marietta could do not to snog her best friend right there in the filled train compartment. Instead she smiled wryly and forced her eyes away, catching her fellow Ravenclaws in her sights. "So, who's taking N.E.W.T. potions with Snape this year?"

Bashing Snape was a safe topic amongst anyone who wasn't Slytherin, and the rest of the train ride passed smoothly, the girls chattering away on superficial things. All the while Marietta leaned against Cho and tried unsuccessfully to still her racing heart. It was going to be a difficult year, indeed.

*****

"Cho? Cho, are you in here?"

Marietta pushed open the door to their shared dormitory and peered inside. Cho Chang sat on the edge of her bed, hurriedly brushing her hair. "Come in," she said, her voice strained.

"Are you all right?" Marietta closed the door and approached slowly, frowning with worry as Cho turned to look at her. She'd been crying, again – there was no mistaking it. The tell-tale redness around the eyes always gave it away. Oh, the others never noticed, but Mari always knew. "Cho, why are you crying again? I thought we'd gotten through this already." Her voice trembled; it bothered her to see Cho this way.

She forced a smile. "Oh, Mari, don't worry so about me. I'm doing okay, really." She laughed hollowly. "I just, er, I've been a bit behind on my homework lately, is all." She held up a textbook. "It's awfully difficult balancing all of this N.E.W.T. work with Quidditch practices."

Marietta sat beside Cho on the bed and yanked her friend's book out of her hands. "Cho, this is Umbridge's book," she said accusingly, dropping the text disgustedly to the bed. "Why in the world are you stressing out over DADA? It's been a joke this year, honestly."

Cho immediately seemed to brighten, an excited gleam shining in her eyes. Dropping her hairbrush, she threw her arms about Marietta and hugged her tightly. "Oh, Mari, I'm so glad you think so," she said happily, making Marietta's stomach twist painfully.

"What are you on about?" Mari asked suspiciously, pulling back to look into Cho's eyes. "I am seriously beginning to worry about you." To be honest, she'd been worried for Cho since the first day of term. Many a day had ended with the two of them sitting on Cho's bed, whispering about You-Know-Who and the loss of Cedric. Marietta couldn't decide what to make of Potter's stories, but she couldn't deny that Cedric had been killed somehow, and her comforting sessions with Cho always left her feeling conflicted, as though she'd been split in two. It was obvious Cho was still mourning the Hufflepuff, and why should she ever think of Marietta Edgecombe as more than a caring housemate and friend? Even if Mari had been a bloke she wouldn't stand a chance. All of this, added to the constant stream of letters from Madam Edgecombe, urging her daughter to play nice and obey Professor Umbridge, made Marietta sick to her stomach.

Cho sniffled loudly and smiled broadly. "I need you to do something for me, Marietta."

"What is it?" She eyed Cho nervously, feeling her palms start to sweat, having absolutely no idea what was going on. She much preferred control, Marietta; there hadn't been much of it to go around so far this term.

"Well, I just." Cho's eyes shone with what may have been a fresh wave of tears. "I need somebody to come with me to the Hog's Head next Hogsmeade trip."

"The Hog's Head? Nobody goes there, Cho." Mari's eyes widened. "Are you planning something dangerous?"

Cho glanced away nervously. "Technically, no, Mari, but I really need your help." She took Marietta's hands and squeezed tightly, sending Mari's stomach into swirls again. "You see, I've heard, from some Gryffindors–" And here Marietta groaned, because Gryffindors were absolutely nothing but trouble. Cho heard this and frowned, pausing before she continued. "Be nice, Mari. They're fighting back; we're taking a stand, against Umbridge, against the Ministry. We're starting a secret DADA group, to learn how to defend ourselves honestly. And maybe this time," she choked on a sob, "we'll be able to save ourselves…unlike Cedric." Two tears slipped down her cheeks.

"Cho." Marietta was speechless. A secret, possibly illegal, Defense organization, right under the nose of the Hogwarts High Inquisitor? Merlin only knew what Madam Edgecombe would have to say about it. "Be good and keep your head down," indeed. But how in Rowena Ravenclaw's name could Mari resist when Cho was crying, when Cho was asking for her help? "And you need me, do you?" She asked, desperate for some kind of clue, a divine answer.

"Oh, I can't go alone, Marietta, I'd be dreadfully nervous," Cho said, her face slowly turning pink. "It's just, you see, it's Harry, Harry's in charge and I just can't face him alone. He makes me so nervous! I think I…well, I can't even begin to think about it, Mari, and so I need you to come with me, for support. I can't ask the others; they don't worry like I do, they don't understand. You're my best friend, Marietta; can you please do this for me?"

And there it was. Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived-To-Torment-People, made Cho Chang, the most beautiful person Marietta had ever known, nervous. And Marietta Edgecombe made nobody nervous, turned nobody's stomach into a knotted frenzy. Marietta, best friend Mari, was the dependable one, the solid shoulder to lean on. A backup, a support beam. It infuriated her, filled with heart with sorrow and her head with pounding anxiety. But still, after considering, how could she say anything other than yes?

"I'm going to regret this," she said sternly, playing uneasily with Cho's hairbrush. "I think we all are."

"Oh, Mari, I love you so much," said Cho, once more hugging her friend, and Marietta closed her eyes and gently inhaled Cho's sweet flowery scent, foolishly pretending the words could mean more than they did.

*****

Sometimes Cho Chang was infuriating. It was bad enough Marietta had been forced into signing some contract, into sneaking around after classes like some common criminal, and into lying to her mother when she wrote her weekly letters, but this was just going too far, honestly. Sighing loudly, Marietta tapped her foot on the floor and shot daggers at Harry Potter, who was lingering in the Room of Requirement with her Cho.

"You can go on without me, it's quite all right," Cho said in a low voice, leaning conspiratorially towards Marietta and giving her friend a nervous smile.

Mari just stared, her arms hanging limply by her sides. Couldn't Cho see what was going on? She was the one crying in the loo every day, sobbing on Marietta's shoulders every night. This ridiculous obsession with Harry Potter was just making things worse. Why couldn't Cho just open her eyes and stop worrying over determinedly foolish blokes? She wouldn't have to worry about Marietta chasing after You-Know-Who like a suicidal Gryffindor, that was for certain. Cho Chang was beautiful, sweet, and incredibly intelligent; why did she keep ignoring her best friend and chasing after idiots?

"Go on," Cho said urgently, nudging Mari with her elbow, her deep eyes wide with fright. "I mean it."

Marietta pursed her lips and clutched her book bag tightly to her chest. "Fine," she hissed eventually, turning with a huff and storming away. If Cho wanted to throw her life away on the wrong sorts, so be it. Marietta Edgecombe wasn't going to be made a fool of any longer. And she certainly wasn't stupid enough to get caught crying in a toilet; she'd have to hurry if she was going to make it back to her dorm in time.

*****

She was still up doing homework when Cho came back to the common room, sliding silently through the doorway and wiping her face hurriedly with one hand. At first, Mari tried to ignore her, lowering her head over her parchment and scribbling away with her quill as quickly as she could. If she could just manage to stop thinking about Cho Chang's tears, she'd be all right. But it couldn't last, and Marietta was forced to look up as Cho sank into the chair beside her with a heavy sob. "Mari, I'm so confused," she said, her words coming out in a rush, "I think I really like Harry, but I still miss Cedric so much, and I don't know what to do! It just feels so wrong, and I can't help it. And they're looking for a replacement seeker for the Quidditch team, I just know it! I overheard some of the girls talking, and –"

"Cho, I'm very busy right now," Marietta said stiffly, continuing to write. "This essay is due tomorrow, and Snape will have my head if it's late."

Cho blinked, clearly stunned, and sat back in her seat, wiping her eyes again. "Oh," she said softly, and the tone of her voice was like a dagger in Mari's heart. "Of course. I'm sorry, Mari."

She stood up to leave, and her flowery scent washed over Marietta's potions essay, staining the ink with the sorrow of the betrayed. "Oh, Merlin," Marietta muttered, angry with herself, and she shoved her work away. "Cho, hang on, I'm sorry. Let's go to bed; we'll talk about it."

Cho's eyes shone with teary happiness. "You're always so good to me, Mari."

"Too good, really," Marietta said grudgingly, though she followed Cho up to their dormitory. She would not endorse the likes of Harry Potter, though she would be forced to once again swallow her own feelings. She was beginning to feel as though this was as far as it could ever go with Cho; she would be the girl's shoulder forever, and never her heart. Perhaps she would settle, if it meant holding Cho.

*****

"Dearest Marietta,

I am hearing some disturbing things coming out of Hogwarts lately. The Ministry is convinced some illegal activities are afoot, though they are astonished to find that they are unable to locate the perpetrators. Do be a sweet girl, and keep your eyes open for your old Mum. It might mean a promotion if I can name the troublemakers! And of course there will be rewards for you, darling, if you were to come forward. Nothing helps with getting a job after school quite like high connections, if you catch my drift. 

Hoping all is well, and your grades are as well up as always,

Your Mother."

"What does she say, Mari?" Cho was looking over her shoulder.

"Nothing," said Marietta, crumpling up the letter. "What are you up to today?"

Cho was incredibly cheerful that breakfast, something that warmed Mari's heart. It was good to see her beloved not crying for once. Could this be the beginning of a recovery? Perhaps once Cho felt better, it would be okay for Mari to be true to herself for once. "I'm meeting Harry in Hogsmeade," Cho said excitedly, stomping all over Marietta's heart.

"How delightful," Mari said dryly, stabbing at her food with a vengeance.

Annoyingly, Cho was still gorgeous even when she frowned. "Why don't you like Harry, Marietta? He's been so brave and good, trying to help us rise above Umbridge and You-Know-Who."

"He's a Gryffindor," Marietta replied, rolling her eyes. "They're all the same; brash and unreasonable. I think he's a fool for trying to beat You-Know-Who on his own."

"He's not on his own," Cho said fiercely. "He's got the DA. Honestly, Mari, don't you feel like a part of something?"

"No," Mari replied, feeling just as fierce. "I don't even want to be part of your little defense club. It's only going to get you in trouble in the end."

"Then why do you keep coming to the meetings?" Cho asked angrily.

"For you," Marietta said, slamming her fists on the table. "Because you asked me to, and I'm stupid enough to care about you." She stood up and stormed off, abandoning her nearly full plate. She wasn't hungry anymore, anyway.

She was reading her Astronomy textbook when Cho got back, her face flushed pink and her hair attractively windswept. She said not a word to Marietta, simply tore her coat and scarf off and collapsed into bed. Rolling over onto her stomach, Cho pulled out a piece of parchment and a book and began to write, slowly and painstakingly scratching her quill across the page and ignoring the girl in the next bed.

Marietta glanced over curiously. Cho had never ignored her like this before. It didn't seem like she'd been crying, which was a good sign, but still, something was off. Torn, Mari looked back down at her own book, though she was unable to return to reading. She didn't want to be first to speak, to have to ask how things had gone with Potter, but she didn't think she could bear it if Cho remained silent. Finally, clearing her throat awkwardly, Marietta leaned over and stared at Cho. "What are you doing?"

"Writing a letter to home," Cho replied shortly, without looking up.

"Oh? What about?" Marietta asked, trying to sound casual.

Cho snorted angrily. "I'm not going to say you were right, because you weren't."

Mari was taken aback by this. "Your date with Potter not go so well?" Her excitement, try as she might, somehow managed to seep into her words.

"He's just so insensitive! Can you honestly imagine, he deserted me halfway through to meet up with Hermione Granger! And he never wants to say a word about Cedric, it's completely unfair, he's the only one who was there, the only person who knows what it was like," and Cho was crying yet again, and Marietta took over, jumping quickly over the next bed to snatch Cho's letter up.

"Come on, now, you'll ruin your letter," Mari said soothingly, much happier to play comforter now that Potter was on the outs. "I told you he was a stupid Gryffindor; they never think about other people's feelings. And I've never liked that Granger girl; she's such a busybody."

Cho laughed through her tears, sitting up so that Marietta could hold her again. "Oh, Mari, I think she's rather a lot like you, actually."

Marietta laughed. "We're both a little bossy, are we?"

Cho nodded, and Mari's heart swelled at the look on her face, the way she could smile through her tears. "He doesn't care about me, does he, Mari?"

"Not like I do, anyway," said Marietta, and she kissed Cho, gently, just on the cheek, trembling all over with her own audacity.

"I suppose, if you don't want, you don't have to come to DA meetings anymore," Cho said slowly, casting her eyes downward, her face still pink.

Marietta considered. "I can't leave you feeling awkward around Potter on your own," she said finally. "Besides, who'll save you if you start acting like an idiot around him again?"

Cho grinned. "Sounds reasonable." And the two of them laughed together, and Marietta started to feel safe again for the first time all year.

*****

Marietta would never, never be safe. "Why are you still lingering around Harry-bloody-Potter?" She exploded, dropping her sack of books to the floor, not even caring anymore who was around to watch her going mad.

Cho Chang flushed pink and stopped in her tracks, staring at Marietta in wide-eyed shock. "Mari, I, I didn't realize . . . I can't help it, he's so noble, he cares about me, really."

"No, he doesn't," Marietta fumed, picking up her bag reluctantly. "He only cares about breaking rules."

"You're starting to sound like Professor Snape," said Cho, smiling nervously, clearly trying to turn the tide, to make things normal again.

But Marietta was tired of normal; her tide had been steadily building into a tsunami. "Well, so be it, then," she snarled, pushing her hair out of her face. "I'm not going to stand around and watch you get yourself into trouble again over a stupid Gryffindor." Shoving past Cho, she stormed away down the corridor, vowing to Rowena Ravenclaw herself that she would stop loving Cho Chang and start behaving like a proper Edgecombe. It may have been irritating, but at least it was safe.

"Oh, Miss Edgecombe, dear?" As though her day couldn't get any worse, Umbridge herself was in the corridor, leering at Marietta in that toad-like way she had. "Could I speak to you in my office for a brief moment?"

Marietta did not respond, merely following the older woman into her distastefully pink office and throwing herself into a chair with a sullen frown. Glancing around her, Marietta was almost disappointed to discover that she agreed with the Gryffindors – Umbridge was a horrid little woman. "What can I do for you, Professor?" She asked, arms folded over her chest.

"I have just been informed that your mother works for the Ministry," said Umbridge, clearly trying to sound friendly. "Tea, dear?" Marietta shook her head. "Well, anyway, I was merely wondering if you might like to join my Inquisitorial Squad, a little project I'm hoping to begin very soon. It would do wonders for your reputation, Miss Edgecombe, and your mother has informed me that she would be undoubtedly proud of you if you were to accept. I think, perhaps, you might be able to curb some unfavorable behavior around here, hm?"

Marietta stared at Umbridge with what she hoped was a neutral expression, because she was screaming on the inside. Her mother's letters were bad enough; now Madam Edgecombe was speaking with Umbridge herself? The day just could not get worse. "I'm sorry, Ma'am, but I just really don't think I have the time right now," Marietta said cautiously. "I'm very busy with my studies, you know."

Umbridge frowned at her. "Hmph, well, yes, of course, schoolwork must come first." She grinned horribly and rose from her seat. "But you must let me know as soon as you change your mind, dear. I think I can assure you, your mother will be more than happy to convince you to make time for this. It won't do to be on the wrong side when times get difficult, Miss Edgecombe. I'm sure you'll give yourself some time to think it over."

Marietta nodded and rose to leave. "Your permission to go back to my common room?"

Umbridge missed the sarcasm. "Of course, dear."

"Thanks a lot," Mari muttered as she closed the office door behind her. Cho owed her for this, for not turning in the whole lot of them. Marietta wasn't sure when she'd be able to collect.

*****

"I think Harry and I will try going to Hogsmeade again," Cho said cautiously at dinner one evening, picking at her food. Things had been strained between her and Marietta since Mari's blow up in the Charms corridor, and Cho had been spending her time with the rest of her gang. This was the first night she'd spoken to Marietta; Mari hadn't been going to DA meetings anymore.

"I suppose you'll have a lovely time," Marietta said stiffly, determinedly not looking at Cho. 

"Can't you please give him another chance?" Cho asked desperately, and Mari knew she was going to cry again. It hurt her so much every time, and she had never been able to stop it, never been able to keep herself away. "He's a very good person, and he does like me, really."

"You don't understand," said Marietta, feeling like maybe she was about to cry, too, and feeling very silly about it. "It doesn't matter to me."

Cho blinked. "It doesn't? But you were so angry."

"I just don't want you to get hurt," Marietta said slowly, forcing the words out. "I don't like it when you're upset."

Cho gingerly pressed her lips to Marietta's cheek. Mari felt like she'd stopped breathing, and she turned to stare into Cho's eyes. "I'll be all right," Cho vowed serenely, smiling. "You'll be around to save me, won't you?"

Marietta pursed her lips and thought of a million things to say, all equally damaging to Cho's fragile and unknowing mind. "Of course," she said, hating herself, hating Cho, hating all of them, hating the world for tormenting her this way.

Cho grinned and pushed away. "Well, so it's settled, then." And Marietta clenched her fists and nodded her head, and plotted her own doom.

*****

It was for Cho's own good, really, Marietta told herself as she walked fearfully towards Umbridge's office later that night. Her fake galleon was burning a hole in her robe, and she wished she had thrown it away, so that she wouldn't have been so tempted to do exactly what she was doing right at that moment. It was for Cho's own good, for what was a student army really going to accomplish, anyway? They were never going to fight You-Know-Who, and even if they did, they'd never survive. Nobody survived that; just look at Cedric Diggory. Maybe Cho Chang thought it heroic to die beside the heroes she so loved, but Marietta couldn't let it happen. Harry Potter was going to kill Cho Chang eventually, either by throwing her into You-Know-Who's path like he did Cedric, or by throwing her over for Hermione Granger or some other ridiculous Gryffindor girl. What better way to save Cho's heart than by preventative measure? Marietta told herself all of this, and still she felt horrible.

She had a letter from her mother clutched in her hand. It told of her troubles at the Ministry, how suspicions were starting to go round that there were traitors in the midst, loons and liars right under the noses of the loyal and true. Madam Edgecombe couldn't allow herself to fall under suspicion. What would happen if she were to be cast from the Ministry? It wasn't just her who would suffer; her daughter, surely, would be punished, as well. The entire family's reputation would be flung into the dirt, and for rumor? It was dreadful. Madam Edgecombe begged her daughter; surely Marietta could do something, knew some way to stop this nonsense, this paranoia. Surely she could save her family, as well as her lovely Cho.

She had never much cared about her mother's feelings, but Marietta Edgecombe had a very heavy load on her shoulders, and the fear of losing her ambitions only added to the pile. What would she do if she couldn't get a job after school? Sit around and mourn the loss of Cho forever? It was a miserable outlook. It was a mess, a complete and utter mess. It couldn't be helped. There was nothing left to be done. Cho had to be made to see, had to be pulled away from the dangers of Harry Potter. Marietta sniffled, took a deep breath, and knocked on Umbridge's door.

*****

It seemed like a long time before Cho came to see her. Marietta was lying in the very last bed, farthest from the door, with bandages covering up her abomination. Seeing Cho Chang come inching towards her was the most welcome sight she could have imagined. She could almost pretend it was before, and she was doing things over, doing the right thing and telling Cho plainly how she felt. But it was too late for that now.

"Hi, Mari." Cho looked incredibly awkward, shuffling her feet beside the bed. "How are you?"

Marietta snorted in disgust and closed her eyes, not willing to speak. Every word she uttered only irritated her face, and she couldn't bear it.

"Well, er, I just wanted to let you know that I understand." Opening her eyes, Marietta looked curiously at Cho, who was staring down at the bed sheets. "I know you had a lot of worry, about your mother and. . .about me, as well. We didn't exactly agree on the DA, did we?" Cho smiled weakly. "I thought you should know that everyone escaped and no one's in trouble. I thought maybe you might care to know. It was Professor Dumbledore; he saved us all, really. He took the blame for us, for Harry." Suddenly there was hardness in Cho's eyes. "He's not pleased with you, Harry, but I told him you just made a mistake. I know you're a good person, Mari. You're my best friend."

Marietta, touched, allowed one tear to slip out of her eye and slide slowly beneath her bandages. It itched like hell, but it was worth it to see the look on Cho's face, to feel Cho's smooth hands on her hair and forehead, to savor Cho's lips as she gently kissed Mari's head. So maybe she had done the right thing, after all. Marietta hated having high hopes, for they were always dashed, and so she tried not to think about the future, and instead enjoyed the present moment, having Cho sit beside her and talk about normal things, what she was missing in class. It was peaceful, and she was happy, if only for a brief moment. 

*****

The rattling of the Hogwarts express train soothed Marietta's nerves, and she sat with her head pressed against the cool glass of the window. Never before in her life was she so happy to be going home.

"I'm really better off without him," Cho was saying to her friends, to Cho's gang, as they giggled and avoided looking at Marietta. They hadn't even been in the DA, they hadn’t approved, and still they treated her like a thing, like a disgusting curse. She was a curse, and she did feel disgusting, but she was angry at them for agreeing with her. Cho had never stopped smiling at her, and for that, Mari was more than grateful. "Harry and I just aren't really fit for one another, in the long run. Now, Michael Corner, he is so incredibly nice. He always knows just what to say to make me feel better about things, when I get down every now and then. I do cry, still, sometimes, but it's getting better. You've all helped me get better. Especially you, Mari," and she nudged Marietta's shoulder.

Marietta nodded and smiled at Cho, and tightened her balaclava around her face. Even if she could never tell Cho how she felt about her, even if she were to continually place second in the race for Cho's heart, it was worth it to have moments like this, sitting next to Cho and sharing a smile. And besides, at least she'd chosen a Ravenclaw this time. She was getting closer. Marietta laughed to herself and closed her eyes, hoping for a quick nap before the train reached King's Cross station. It had been a very tiring year, indeed.


End file.
